Ace up the Sleeve
by thatRandomGrl
Summary: The Clown Generation lives on. But will Harley and Jokers child become exactly what they are?
1. Preface

**Ace up the Sleeve**

**PREFACE:**

Yet again, the Caped Crusader had caught the notorious clowns that had escaped from Arkham for the millionth time. Both Harley Quinn and Joker were thrown into their separate cells on opposite ends of the facility. Little did Joker know, Harley had been feeling a little under the weather. Harley tried her best to hide it from her Mistah J.; however, word spreads quickly throughout Arkham Asylum.

Weeks and weeks after being caught, Harley quickly found out she was with-child. Knowing that her puddin would not approve of the newborn once it had arrived, she had begged and pleaded the guard and Psychiatrists not to say a word to him or any of the other inmates. Harley had then been moved to solitary making others think she has gone insane again. As she sat there thinking about what will happen to the child once it was born, her stomach was growing along with her anxiety. With every kick she felt, she knew she had to give her child up.

"Well, Miss Quinn," said Dr. Joan Leland, Harley's most trustworthy and caring doctor had started, "I have no idea how you plan on keeping this from Joker, sooner or later, he will find out…"

"As much as the idea hurts me, Dr. Leland, I plan to give the child up after it's born. God knows how much puddin's probably upset with me already, knowin that we- i…I mean**_ I_ **gave us up to B-man." Harley replied.

Joan knows the relationship The Joker and Harley have towards each other. She certainly feels bad that Harley has to give up a child because she is too afraid of her boyfriend.

"But Harley, wouldn't you think that people will question the whereabouts of your child as it is in a child care facility?" Joan asked.

"It has crossed my mind, but…" Harley looked around the room making sure there was no one around. She began to whisper, "But if you help me escape, just this one time? So I can find it a home?"

Joan quickly replied back, "Harley! You know I can't do that! I can lose my job!"

"I know you can't, but it's the only chance I have to save the baby!" she looked down at her overgrown stomach and caressed it as if it was the joker's forest green hair, "PLEASE , Joan, Please! I don't want my puddin to think anything different of me! Especially if he hurts it and I defend my child! PLEASE!"

Joan knew she was taking a big risk. She lowered her head down at the notes she had taken from the session. She nodded slowly. Harley began to smile with tears in her eyes. She reached out to Joan for a hug, when all of a sudden; Harley felt a sharp pain in her lower abdomen. She cringed, and Joan knew exactly what was happening. Dr. Leland jumped off her chair and ran to the call button near the door. Seconds later, EMT's and security guards piled into the room, and carried Quinn off to the medical wing. As they passed the hall of all the super criminals, Ivy, Two Face, Mad Hatter, and primarily, the Joker's eyes grew wide as they saw Harley on a gurney being rushed across to the medical wing. Harley glanced at the Joker in that split second and saw his oversized grin grow into a malicious scowl. Harley tried to say she was sorry, but the pains were too much to take to say anything. She knew he would try to break out of his cell to harm her or possibly, the baby; but she could not think about that right now. All she knew is that she had an operation to go through after her child was born.

Twelve hours later, Harley gave birth to a baby girl. The doctors only let her see it for a minute before taking it away. They had handcuffed her to the bed so she could not leave the room or try to escape. As they took the child out of her arms, she felt as much emotional pain as she had when the guards took her beloved patient, The Joker away from her before she went insane. Even though Harley had been sedated from the birth, she never fell asleep.

That night, she was left in the medical wing. With her eyes wide open, all she could think about was her child. The time had come. Joan stood outside the door to Harley's room, quietly knocking. Harley grinned and tried to get out of bed. With her free hand, Harley had managed to reach a pin out of her hair to pick the lock. She quietly freed herself and tip toed over to the unlocked door. Dr. Leland was holding the child and they sneaked out of the building. As they began to leave the outside premises, the guards started notice the movement and shined the light on them. Joan's eye grew fearful. She pushed the girl into Harley's hand and pushed her to run. Harley began running, and clutching her girl for dear life. As Harley ran, she began to start feeling dizzy and sedated. She knew the anesthesia was starting to get to her. Still, she ran. As she grew closer to Gotham, she knew Bat-Brain would be following her tracks by now. She began to tear up and think that she wasn't going to make it. Still, she ran.

She made it to the outskirts of Gotham and began to see the shadows of the Bat's wings. She ran through the ally way and made it to a town home. She had recognized it from before. There, she left her only child on the door step and rang the doorbell. She looked around to see if the Bat was still on her tail. Next thing she knows, she is dangling upside down from being held by her foot. She looked down to see a woman pick up her child and bring her back in. as Batman brought her face to his, she knew she was going back to Arkham. She gave in to the Bat and walked herself to the batmobile. She looked back at the home that was now caring for her child. "I'll never forget you…Ace" she said as Batman drove her back to where she came from.

_Author's Note: this story has been in my head for MONTHS now! I am SOO glad i finally get to share it with the world! More is to come and i hope you guys come back for it! 3_


	2. Chapter 1

**Ace up the Sleeve**

**Chapter 1: 16 years later…**

"EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! The Caped Crusader on the Lookout for Joker and Harley Quinn!" Shouted the paper boy…FOR THE 10TH MILLIONTH TIME! I guess it's alright being an adopted child. From what I hear, I was just left on the door step of my foster mom's porch. So really, no one knows my origin. All that was with me was a little name tag that had said "Ace" on it. For some time, I have wanted to know where I came from; perhaps who my real parents are, but some things just aren't meant to be known, I guess.

I walked up the steps to my place just like I would on a normal day. As always, mom is there getting dinner ready. For some reason, she looked paranoid…she even jumped when I shut the front door. This was unlike her. She was shaking as she was cutting up the peppers.

"Hey Sheryl!" I called to her.

"Hello darling. Happy Birthday!" She replied, "How was school?"

"Same as always: boring as hell… and Thanks!" she was quiet for a long time, to the point where it had gotten awkward.

"…everything okay here?" I asked slowly. She put the knife down and sighed. She had a worried look on her face as she turned around. She was leaning on the counter and let her head hang low. As she picked it up, she began to speak.

"I actually want to talk to you about something…" oh no…she got a call from a teacher, didn't she. My eyes grew very wide.

"You're not in trouble; I just want to speak to you about…about when you were left here by your parents."

"Oh, I know. They could afford me to live with them and so they gave me to you."

"Not exactly", she replied. I sat down at the kitchen table. She took another breath as if she was reassuring herself. "The night you were given to me…w-was the night a wanted criminal had gotten out of Arkham Asylum."

I really did not have one clue to where this was going. Why would she tell me the day I was born was the day some guy got out of jail? I gave Sheryl a look of confusion.

"And you….you are the daughter of that criminal." She finished. _Obviously_, she HAD to be messing with me. So I played along.

"Heh…sure I am…the Joker is my father." I sarcastically answered. She wasn't laughing….i was beginning to realize what she was saying. I lost my grin, "wait, are you serious?" Sheryl nodded, keeping the same caring and sympathetic look she always gave me.

"Your mother is Harley Quinn. Your mother was a good friend of mine. The name tag also had a letter attached to it. Sheryl pulled out a little piece of paper that looked beaten up and looked as if it was looked at several times. She handed it to me and I unfolded it. The letters looked as if they were taken from magazines and pasted on.

"_Dear Sheryl_," it started, "_I know I will have to repay you for what you have done for me in the past, but I have a huge favor I need you to take care of for me. If you have gotten this, you can see it has been attached to a little bundle of joy. Her name is Ace and I need you to take care of her for me. My Joker is already upset with me and it hurts me to think about what he will do to it when he finds out. Please watch over and try to keep her out of trouble. –from your good friend, Harley_

I put down the note on the table. I felt as if everything I ever thought about had just crashed landed in a state of oblivion.

"I know this is probably going to be hard on you," Sheryl started. All of a sudden, a blanket of anger had just covered me.

"YOU KEPT THIS FROM ME FOR 16 YEARS?!" I shouted.

"Sweetie, I did it for your own good, I didn't want you to think you were going to turn out to be a kind of monster-"

"_Harley_ isn't the monster, YOU are!" I ran out of the house and ran to the one place in Gotham that I had actually might feel at home: Crime Alley. I ran around to the back of the Theater and sat down on the back steps. My eyes filled up with tears. I hugged my knees to my chest and buried my head into them.

"Rough Day?" I heard out of the darkness. I quickly popped my head up, when out walked the famous millionaire, Bruce Wayne and his adopted son, Tim Drake. I quickly wiped my tears off my cheeks as I stared into Mr. Wayne's clear blue eyes.

"M-Mr. Wayne. What are you doing back here?" I stuttered.

"My parents died here years ago on this day." He replied. He held out his hand as if to help me up. I hesitated, but gently put my hand in his as he pulled me to my feet.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I had no idea that-"

"it's perfectly fine." He grinned. "Like all people, we have rough days. Ours just had to happen today. Now what is your name?"

"Ace Merriandrew." I said back.

"Nice to meet you!" Tim said. He held out his hand the same as Bruce had but wanting to shake hands. I put my hand in his. He smiled.

"so, why don't you come back to my house so you could tell me what is on your mind?" Bruce said. I couldn't believe this! Bruce Wayne is asking ME to go to his house. Since I had no intention of going back to my house at this current time, I gladly accepted as he laid his hand on my back to guide me to his car…or should I say _Limo_?

About ten minutes later, Mr. Wayne's chauffeur had pulled up to Wayne manor. The old man had climbed out of the car and proceeded to try and assist me out of the car. I waved my hand letting him know I got it and he back away slowly, still watching if I was able to get out of the car. Mr. Wayne and Tim then had taken me to their HUGE living room. Their only butler, Alfred had asked me if I had wanted anything, but I politely declined. Mr. Wayne had sat down on the expensive sofa and gestured me to sit down.

"now," Bruce started, "what's on your mind? Why isn't your day going as well as you had hoped?"

I lowered my head. How was I supposed to tell this guy that my biological parents are people that would love to steal from him and…possibly kill him?

"I…Today…I had found out, I am not who I thought I was for 16 years." I looked up to see if he was still listening. I was surprised to see that Mr. Wayne was looking at me with the same eyes Sheryl had always given me. He looked as if he wanted to hear more and he was not going to resent what he was about to hear.

"I knew I was adopted, but my guardian had just told me who my biological parents are…" I began to say again. "now, I know I probably should have thought about coming to your house before I told you who my parents are, and I just want to let you know, if you do not trust me, you can feel free to throw me out right now."

Mr. Wayne had smiled, "Ace, I have no intention of throwing you out, it is not your fault that you were born from people who had no intention of keeping you."

"Well, actually, Mr. Wayne, my biological mom wanted to save me from being harmed by my father. They are both criminals of Gotham…" Still I was looking at Mr. Wayne trying to find any expression that would make him say 'Get out of my house this instant!' The only change in expression was his grin to realization.

"Yes", I started again, "I am the daughter of The Joker and Harley Quinn." I lowered my head again. "You can feel free to kick me out of your house." I said. He knew that I wasn't proud of who I am, but still, there was silence from both him and Tim. I began to walk toward the door when Mr. Wayne grabbed my hand.

"I know this is probably hard news for you. I have gone through hard news like this once too, but your foster mother was only trying to protect you." His eyes were sincere. Both Tim and Mr. Wayne had smiled at me. I knew Tim was taken in my Mr. Wayne a few years ago. He probably went through a lot of trouble when he was younger. I smiled back now knowing that I wasn't fully alone. Thanks to Mr. Wayne, I now know that. With that, Bruce had instructed his butler to drive me home. I had definitely better than a few hours ago. I stared out the window trying to figure out why all this would happen to me in one day. Happy Birthday to me.


	3. Chapter 2

**Ace up the Sleeve**

**Chapter 2:**

Mr. Wayne was perhaps one of the only people who actually made my day more appealing today. Well, I guess Sheryl made my day too…NO! She ruined it. Or perhaps I'm madder at myself for getting mad at her. She was only trying to protect me from maybe trying to find these criminals, and possibly get myself harmed. UGH! Why did I have to get mad? I feel terrible right now! Alfred was just about to drop me off at my house. By the time we had reached there, it was already dark.

"Please, Do be careful, Miss Merriandrew. " Alfred had said as I opened the door.

"I will," I called back, "Thanks again for the ride. I really appreciate it." Alfred nodded and waited for me to get in the house before he drove off. I shut the door behind me quietly. I didn't know if Sheryl was sleeping. As I walked pass the kitchen, I notice she left a bowl of soup out for me. It was cold. I wonder how long I was gone; it didn't seem like a very long time. I grabbed the bowl and headed up the stairs to my room.

I flicked on the light, and right in front of me was about a half a dozen strangers standing in my bed room. They were dressed in white, dirty wife beaters, orange prison pants, and a mask in the face of clowns. My eyes grew wide and I dropped the porcelain bowl. As it came crashing down, I gasped. One of them pounced on me and held my mouth to muffle the blood-curdling scream that was ready to fly from my mouth.

"We got her, let's go now!" One of them had said. I struggled to loosen the grip on the guy holding my mouth. Then, two of them had grabbed my hands and put them behind my back. Tears started to escape from my eyes as I was being taken out of my house. As we went down the hallway, I saw Sheryl motionless on the floor right near the bathroom door. At this time, I tried to scream again as I saw her blood trickle in the crevices of the tiles. But it was no use. The sound of my screaming was held in. I tried to gasp for more air, but his hand was covering my nose as well.

Still, I struggled. I was taking so much energy out of my system from trying to get out of the grips of these people that I started to feel dizzy. With the lack of enough air getting through my body, I began to feel weak. They dragged me to the ally way in the back of my house and threw my in the van waiting there. As they threw me in, my head bashed up against a fire extinguisher. I blacked out.

I opened my eyes and I was in a completely different place. I looked down at my hands and feet which were both tied up still. I sat up using my elbows and looked around. I still had the feeling of nausea and my head was aching. My forehead felt wet and there was blood dripping down my cheek. There were broken down carnival games everywhere. Some were even vandalized. Right in front of me was what looked like a throne. The wall of the throne had a huge clown on it which looked like a court jester from medieval times.

"Welcome, my dear," said a voice that came from every which way. The cold voice startled me.

"Who…who are you?" I called back. I had no idea of what to make of this unseen person. The voice never said anything more. I heard footsteps coming closer very slowly. The footsteps echoed louder and louder. I had no idea to where they were coming from. I shut my eyes trying to block out the noise when all of a sudden…it stopped. I opened my eyes, and staring right in front of me was a tooth-filled smile on a white face. I screamed and backed away as fast as I could with my tied up hand and legs. The face stood up straight. It was attached to a body with a purple and green suit on. He cackled uncontrollably as I backed away more to try to get away from him. My back met two skinny poles. I grabbed on to one to find it was a red leg attached to woman who was grinning at me. I was startled and crawled away from her as I did the man.

I couldn't think straight. I knew exactly who they were from the papers, but I could not believe I was related to them.

"Hiya Acie! Remember me?" said Harley. I was still hyperventilating from Joker's jump scare he gave me.

"She's 16 now, eh Mistah J.?" Harley called to Joker who was still laughing.

"Aw…she all grown up and has no idea who we are, Harley." He said back. He gave me a malicious grin. I didn't want to seem afraid of them.

"I _know_ who you are", I yelled at him, "but what you aren't my father! You're a _MURDERER!_" Harley Quinn's smile went to a look of fright. I guess I probably shouldn't have said that.

All he did was laugh more. "She has my humor, Harl! HAHAHA! And my charming good looks." He came closer to me. I took my legs and shot them towards his shin. He fell on his side and got right back up, still cackling. At this point, I was up against the wall still trying to get away. He took a joker card out of his sleeve and it cut right though the ropes tied around my wrists and feet. I got to my feet and tried to run to the nearest exit. As I headed towards the door, the thugs that had kidnapped me stood in front of the door. I stopped in my tracks.

"You thought I'd let you get away that easily?" Joker called to me, "NONSENSE! You are my daughter! Your home is here!" still frightened, I said nothing back to him. "HARLEY!" he shouted. She cowered, "y-yes, Puddin?"

"SHOW HER TO HER ROOM!"

"y-yes sir." She grabbed my arm and guided me deeper into the carnival tent. As we were walking, Harley began to relax more. "Why do you take so much crap from him?" I asked quietly.

"Because deep down your father knows he loves me and needs me." she said.

"He's not my father." I stated back. "Well o'course he is, Acie! You look a lot like him!"

"That doesn't mean I have to accept him as my father…he KILLED your friend, my foster mom!" she stopped dead in her tracks but showed no emotion. We continued on, but neither of us said anything more. We came to a hallway that looked nothing like the room I was just in. She opened the door to a room that looked a lot like mine. She lightly pushed me into the room, "dinner's almost ready! I'll have someone come and get ya! See ya, sweetums!" She shut the door. I looked at the room. It looked exactly like mine, but I did NOT feel at home one bit.


	4. Chapter 3

**Ace up the Sleeve**

**Chapter 3:**

Could this ACTUALLY be happening to me or is this a dream? I took a couple of clocks to the head with the lamp on the night stand…and yes, it hurt. Okay, so if I wasn't dreaming, why do my "parents" want me back all of a sudden? Why did the room I was in look like my own back at the town home? So many questions all made in one freakin' day! I knew I just couldn't handle all of this. I sat down on the bed and put my head in my arms that were resting on my knees. All of a sudden, the door slammed opened. I stood up and found one of the clown faced guys at my door.

"The boss said it's time for dinner." He said. I would have said I wasn't hungry, but actually, I was and who knows when my next meal would be, knowing the reputation of the Joker. Also, the look on the thug's face did not look like I should mess with him. I DON'T know how batman can beat these guys to a pulp and still be alive. I walked slowly to where I first arrived to find a table in the middle full of food. Harley was setting the table with the silver wear and napkins while Joker was sitting down reading the newspaper. I've seen this kind of family on tv, but never would I have thought that the Joker would have such table manners. Harley looked up.

"Oh, hello there, Acie!" She waved like a child would to their best friend. "It's almost time for dinner. Why don't you go wash that nasty cut off your head and your hands?"

The Joker looked up from the new article he was reading. "CHUCKLES!" he yelled.

"Yeah, boss?" the thug said with a thick Brooklyn accent.

"SHOW ACE THE BATHROOM!"

"No problem, boss." Chuckles, the thug, pushed my back to show me the nearest powder room. He shoved me in and shut the door. I saw his feet standing in front of the door like a body guard would do for a super star or something. I looked in the mirror to find a huge gash in the side of my head. The dry blood went all the way down to my neck. I took one of the paper towels and turned the faucet on. As I wiped down my face with the hot, soapy water, the cut stung as I touched it. Still, I managed to clean it. When I was done, Chuckles pushed me back to the table. Now, both Harley and the Joker were sitting at the table. A Thug was standing by the only chair left between both of my 'Parents'. Chuckles pushed me to the thug. The thug by the chair pulled it out. He looked at the joker who gestured him to smile at me. he obediently did so, but the smile didn't look so appealing.

I sat down in the chair the thug pulled out for me.

"Smiles, Chuckles, you can leave." Said Harley in a charming voice. They both left unenthusiastically. As they left, joker began to speak.

"So, let's dig in!" he picked up his fork and started chowing down on the meat on his plate. Harley and I both followed along, but less uncomfortably. The food was surprisingly good. I actually started to get a little more comfortable with my eating. Maybe not as comfortable as the Joker was as he scarfed most of it down in just a few bites, but maybe a little less lady-like as Harley was when she ate. Did I think there were poisons in it? No, for one thing, I know it doesn't. Harley mad ethe food, and I don't think she ever wanted harm towards me.

"So Ace," the Joker began again, "how do you like your new home?"

"New home?" I replied. He nodded, still with that silly-looking, yet cold grin on his face. I looked at Harley to see if I should speak. She, also, was looking at me to see what my answer was. I really didn't know what to think of it. I mean, the guy brought me to it by throwing me in a frigin van for Christ sake!

"It's…it's very well- decorated." I said. The joker looked pleased with himself. I guess I can assume he was the one who planned where it was. "Where are we anyway?" I asked. Hopefully, this question will not tick him off.

"wah? No one told you?" He sounded surprised. I guess he thought they deliberately knocked me out when we got there. I shook my head.

"Why, we are in Laff City! The old abandoned amusement park!" I remember this place. Sheryl used to take me here when I was younger.

"Harley," the joker called from across the table.

"Yes, Puddin?" she answered.

"clean these dirty dishes! I want a little…Father/Daughter time with my Ace."

"okie dokie, Mistah J." with that, she got u and took my plate and Joker's and headed to what I guess was their little makeshift kitchen they had. I didn't feel as safe now that I was with just the Joker. Harley made me feel safe. I glanced at Joker who was looking at me with that grin I didn't like. I looked down at my lap like a dog would to its alpha.

"Now, tell me, Ace," he started, "do I seem scary to you?" What was I supposed to answer to _that!_? YES was what I wanted to say, but that might make my worst nightmare come alive. I shook my head but didn't say anything else. He leaned in closer, "you're lying to me…" he said, "I can see the way you try not to look at me, or how to try to avoid my questions." He stood up and walked over to where I was sitting. He slammed his hands against the table and stared at me the way a dog would to its prey. I flinched and still tried not to look at him, "well, I don't like liars." He whispered is my ear. I felt the hot breath against my skin and flinched again.

"But, for my daughter, I guess I'm willing to make an exception." I looked up.

"w-what exception?" I asked. He took out a gun from his coat pocket and stared at it.

"Well, usually I just take care of double-crossers by spilling their blood all over the floor, but since you came from me, I guess that makes you on your way to criminal success!" He put the hand gun back in his coat pocket.

"Come on, Acie! Join me and you mother in our criminal succession!" I was stunned by the question he was asking. I couldn't speak. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"So…what is your answer? Being notoriously famous, or hell?" I tried to say something again, but still, nothing came out of my mouth.

"I'll tell you what…I'll let you sleep on it" he pinched my cheek and headed into the kitchen screaming at Harley again. Finally, I let out a deep breath. The whole time, I could barely breathe. I felt constricted and uncomfortable. Harley ran out of the kitchen holding her arm and her eye throbbing. She then took me to my room and pulled out some clothes I could wear to bed. As I got dressed, she went to the bathroom in my room and took care of her throbbing, bruised eye and arm. She put me to bed and tucked me in. I don't know when the last time I was tucked in… Sheryl barley ever did it because she went to bed so late. Harley kissed me on the forehead and turned off the light.

"Good night, Acie," she called to me.

"Good night…mom." I called back. She looked back and smiled like Sheryl always did. Although I was awfully tired, I could not fall asleep. What was I supposed to do? I never wanted to be a wanted criminal, but I don't want my life to end. I know Har- I mean mom would be devastated if Joker planned on making my blood apart of his decoration. Heh… sleep on it? Mr. Joker, I can barely even sleep.


	5. Chapter 4

**Ace up the Sleeve**

**Chapter 4:**

I was in my bed, that night, sleepless. I thought about the people I met and the people I missed: Sheryl, Mr. Wayne, Tim…they all had made today worthwhile. And now I was given the option to either rot in jail, or get killed. Either way, that's suicide for a young woman like me. I haven't even been able to go to college. And if I somehow do run away, where am I supposed to go? Sheryl was dead, and I don't think I'd be comfortable staying at Mr. Wayne's. Still, I plan on getting out of here tonight. There were no windows in any of the buildings and the only way out was through the thugs. But with my tiny body, I think I'd get another concussion on one of them. But, maybe there was a back door… don't all carnival tents do? I don't know, but it's worth a shot.

Soundlessly, I got out of the bed and tip toed to the door. I only cracked the door enough to fit my body though. I didn't want to attract the Joker's attention. I tip toed down the hall until I hit the main tent. I heard the Joker and Harley whispering to each other. I hid behind one of the broken down carnival games.

"But Puddin, why do you want her to be a part of the team so badly?" Harley's whisper squeaked.

"Don't you see Harley? She could act as a decoy. Ol' Batsy hits women and men, but will he lay a finger on children?"

"But what if he finds out she's only a decoy?"

"That won't stop him, will it? She'll act as a punching bag for the oversized rodent! We'd still be able to get away with whatever we have."

"But you know, after a while, Bat- brain will notice she's only used as a toy…" what Harley said had just made the Joker mad. He took one of the chairs used for dinner and threw it at her. She toppled to the ground. I let out a tiny whimper. The Joker turned his head towards the carnival game I was hiding behind and walked slowly towards it. My hands started to shake. I had no idea what else to do. I stood up and give in.

"I'll do it," I said. "I…I want to be a part of your team." The Joker's suspicious look turned into a happy smile.

"Well, that's WONDERFUL NEWS!" he exclaimed. She walked to me with open arms. I took a few steps towards him. He wrapped his thin, lanky arms around me and proceeded to squeeze me. I looked at Harley to see what I should do. She was also in awe as she was still trying to get up from the chair that was being thrown at her. Obviously, this was very unlike the Joker. Could it be that fact that I was his daughter, or was it so I would feel less used?

"Oh, I had a feeling you'd say yes, so I made you a costume!" he unwrapped his arms around me and went to a bag that was sitting on a chair.

"A costume?" I said. Was a really supposed to dress up? I was fine going out as myself…especially if I was being used as a decoy. The Joker nodded. He pulled a green and purple jump suit that looked a little like Harley's out of the bag with a can of permanent purple hair dye. He threw them in my arms and rushed me to the bathroom to try it on like a mom would do to a 3 year old for Halloween. I took the suit and threw it on. I noticed there was a black "A" in the top left corner of the suit. It actually fit quite nicely. I then took the hair dye and sprayed streaks of purple in my hair. Someone knocked on the door. It was Harley.

"YOO WHO! You in there, Acie?" she called in her playful voice.

"Yeah," I called back, "I'm in here."

"There is some makeup in there. Even though it's mommy's, you can use it!"

"…Thanks!" I said back. After I said I'd join them, it's like they went in party mode or something. I put on the white face paint and the black lip stick. I put purple eye shadow on my eyes and drew a spade on my right cheek bone. I heard another knock on the door.

"Acie! Are you ready? Come out and show mommy and daddy how you look!" The joker said in his chilling voice. I opened the bathroom door to find the table we used to be gone and a ripped up old couch facing toward the bathroom with both Harley and the Joker on it hand in hand. I walked out. The Joker gestured me to spin around so he could see how I looked. I spun.

"AW! AIN'T SHE PRETTY MISTAH J.? Harley called. Her shouting was right in his ear and he flinched from the noise she was making. Still he kept a smile on his face.

"Just one thing is missing…" he said. He came over to me and circled around real slowly. He snapped his fingers.

"I GOT IT!" he exclaimed he put his purple gloved hands to my face and turned the corners of my mouth up right. "She needs a smile!" he took his hands off my face and I proceeded to smile.

"THERE we go!" he said, "Harley! Go get the car! We're going out tonight!"

"Going out?" I asked. Joker nodded. "But it's 3am." I said. The Joker manically laughed. He patted my head.

"Not THAT kind of going out!" oh, he means creating a scene of some sort. He guided me towards the exit. Harley was parked outside the carnival tent. She was in what looked like a clown car with star sunglasses and a matched scarf.

"Where to, Puddin? She asked as a taxi driver would to its customers.

"Hmm…I think Mr. Wayne is throwing a party at Wayne enterprises still." The joker answered back. With that, Harley drove all three of us off to the center of Gotham.


	6. Chapter 5

**Ace up the Sleeve**

**Chapter 5:**

We sped down the highway to Main Street and Gotham square. Harley had made a sharp turn into the nearest alley way and stopped, suddenly. The Joker turned to both Harley and I. We discussed the plan. Joker gave me a trench coat and a fedora hat. He told me to go up to the floor where they were having the party and told me to go up to Mr. Wayne and put a blinking pellet Joker gave me onto his jacket. And get out of there as quick as I could.

"It's not going to hurt him, is it?" I asked.

"Oh, dear, no!" said Joker, "Just…give him a better sense of humor.

"Then what happens?" I asked. The Joker chuckled.

"You'll see…" he guided me towards the door of the entrance and then left me. I looked back to see if I was doing anything wrong. Joker was smiling and gave me thumbs up. I headed towards the elevator. The numbers at the top had went down for what seemed to be a half hour. Finally, the doors opened and I found Tim standing there. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him dressed in his suit and hair back. He saw me.

"Ace?" he said.

"H-Hi, Tim." I said very timidly. I knew he would ask me why I was here, or why I had all his makeup on

"What are you doing here?" _I knew it… _

"I um…forgot to say something to Mr. Wayne.

"Well, you can tell me, I'll give him the message."

"Um…uh…" I stuttered. I pushed him out of the way to get into the elevator. "Thanks…but I would like to say it to him in person." The elevator doors started to shut. As the doors closed, I saw Tim's face. He looked suspicious. The elevator began to rise. It felt more of an eternity to get to that floor. The doors to the elevator opened and Mr. Wayne was standing right there.

"Ace? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I…uh…I um…just wanted to say…Thanks for cheering me up a few hours ago..."

"Well, you could have waited until tomorrow…why do you have all that makeup on?" He saw right through me. I knew I wanted to tell him what was happening right now. "Ace? Is there something you would like to tell me?" I couldn't take the pressure. It was just building up inside, just ready to pop out.

"IT'S JOKER!" I cried, "He wants me to hit you with laughing gas that's in this small thing." Tears started to flow from my eyes. I didn't know what to do. "He killed my foster mom and threatened to kill me if I didn't become what he is!" The realization came to Mr. Wayne's face. He took the gas pellet out of my hand and pushed me back in the elevator. As the doors closed, he told me, "The deed is done." The doors shut. The elevator couldn't go down fast enough. I ran out of the building and to the alley way Joker and Harley were waiting in.

"What took you so long?" the Joker complained.

"That kid of his was in my way." I acted as if I didn't know who he was. It hurt. I had this little place in my heart for both Tim and Mr. Wayne, but I had to act as if I barely knew them.

"But did you do it?" the joker asked impatiently. A smile, only I knew that was fake, formed on my face. I nodded. The joker cackled as Harley pulled the car out of the alley and sped home. The joker seemed paranoid as we were driving. He looked at Harley with such anger.

"DON'T SPEED, HARLEY! DO YOU WANT THE BAT TO RECOGNIZE US?!" Harley flinched as if he was about to hit her again. She slowed down a bit. I turned around to see if it was true. As I looked up, gliding above us was a massive winged creature.

"LOOK!" I called out. Joker turned around and Harley looked through the rear view mirror. They both saw it, and Harley began to speed again.

"OH! NOW YOU'VE DONE IT!" He yelled at Harley. He stooped down to the car floor and picked out a rifle that was in a bag. Joker got into position and started to fire uncontrollably. Some of the bullets had hit cars, other hit houses, but none of them hit the Dark Knight.

The whole time in my head I was cheering for batman. Would I say anything out loud? NOPE! I just sat forward and looked at Harley as she uncaringly dove through the streets of Gotham. She dodged most of the cars and tried to take as many back ways and alley ways as she could.

"UGH! GIMME SOME MORE AMMO, ACE!" The Joker held out his hand. I dug into the bag as quickly as I could. I handed him more ammo, and he continued to fire uncontrollably. When we have seemed to lose the bat, the Joker settled down and I realized if my heart was beating faster than it already was, I would probably give myself a heart attack. Harley pulled up to the carnival tent and the joker and I climbed out. She then drove around back to park the car. The joker began to laugh again.

"ACIE! YOU'RE A NATURAL!" he put his boney hand on my back and guided me into the house.

"In fact, I have a present for you!" He walked over to a shelf full of trinkets and pulled a jack-in-the-box off the shelf. He continued to smile as he wound the handle up. The little Jack-in-the-box jingle played as he turned it. As the song was getting towards the end, Harley came in. She saw what Joker was doing and gasped.

"PUDDIN! NO!" She cried. She pushed me out of the way. As the box exploded with an expecting clown, gas had come out of the mouth of the clown. Harley was hit with the gas and started to cough and wheeze. She fell to the ground and passed out. I couldn't believe my eyes! The Joker was going to poison me! I stared at Harley as she fell asleep.

"I told you I don't like _DOUBLE-CROSSERS!_" He spat at me. "I heard EVERYTHING you told the boy AND Mr. Wayne!"

"B-But how?" I asked.

"That suit I made you is not just made of cotton and spandex, you know." He picked up a baseball bat that was near a fortune teller game.

"I- I'm sorry…Dad!" did I just call him dad? Well, whatever I did, it seemed to calm him down a bit. He dropped the bat and pulled me to my room. He shoved me in and locked the door.

"You're grounded for a week!" he called. I had no idea of what to make of what just happened. I headed to my bathroom and turned the faucet on. I washed the makeup off my face and turned the faucet off. I walked over to my bed and sat down. This was one of the only times today that I actually felt safe, but alone. I began to sob uncontrollably. Why was I crying? I didn't feel sorry for myself for actually telling Mr. Wayne what had happened. As each tear fell from my face. I felt as if another weight hand be lifted off for that night. I wound up crying myself into a deep sleep. Goodnight, Gotham.


	7. Chapter 6

**Ace up the Sleeve**

**Chapter 6**

I woke up the next night around 7pm. There were dried tears on my face and my eyes were stinging red. I got up out of bed to check the door: still locked. I went into the bathroom to find my face puffed up and my hair in a blonde and purple streaks mess. I tore off the body suit the Joker had made for me and grabbed the clothes that I came here with. I slipped on my jeans one pant leg at a time. When I was about to put on my shirt, I noticed a little tiny bat symbol that was attached to the shirt. But, I never remembered that there. I put my thumb and two fingers around the edges and pulled it off. The symbol started blinking in the center. I put my thumb over it and noticed it was a button. I pressed it, but nothing happened. Three knocks had been made on my door. I slipped on my shirt and hurriedly put the button in my jean pocket. The door clicked and in came the Joker.

"Breakfast Time!" he sang. He put the plate of eggs and bacon on my night stand and began to leave the room.

"Is…mom okay?" I asked him before he left. He stopped and turned around to me.

"Perhaps you didn't know this, but your mother had lung problems…when she inhaled the gas, she became sicker than a normal person would."

"Is she going to die?" I asked quite forwardly. He started to laugh obnoxiously.

"OH SHE'S FAR FROM IT!" he left the room, locked the door again and continued to laugh. I didn't get what he just said…if Harley had lung problems; wouldn't that make her near death? I looked over at the bacon and eggs he put on my night stand. Is he trying to poison me again? I wafted the smell of the food to my nose. It didn't _smell_ funny. I took a nibble of the bacon to see if there was anything: nothing unidentifiable. I ate a piece of bacon and left the rest of the plate alone. I laid back down on the bed after I was done the one piece.

Not long after, I heard whispering coming from outside. I followed the sound of the voices to find they were coming from a window that was boarded up in the bathroom right over the toilet. I stood on the lid and peeked through a whole from the window. Found Robin and Bat Girl outside the window looking at a GPS device.

"Robin, Batgirl, up here!" I whispered.

"Ace, I presume?" said Batgirl.

"Yeah," I replied, "Joker locked me in here after he found out I told Mr. Wayne that the Joker wanted to poison him. He tried to poison me, but Harley got in the way, and now she might be sick."

Batgirl put her hand up to her ear. She was responding to someone that was apparently talking on the ear piece. She told the ear piece the story I had told her and followed it by a few "okay's" and an "Understood" at the end. She continued to hold her ear piece and told robin to put his explosive putty on the door and detonate it when she told him to. Still holding the ear piece, she turned to me and said, "You may want to back up a bit…" I got off the toilet seat and ran into the room and covered my head. From the window, I heard batgirl give the command. The room exploded and my ears started to ring. The ceiling and walls in the bathroom collapsed and Batgirl and Robin ran in and lifted me off my feet. They ran out of the opening in the bathroom just as the door to the room swung open and the Joker was running after us. Fortunately, he was unarmed. We ran until we reached the main road where the bat mobile pulled up. The top opened up and Robin and Batgirl lifted me in and sat me right next to the Batman. They both piled in and we drove off. By the time we had gotten ourselves back to the streets of Gotham, robin seemed to notice that there was someone following us.

"Uh…Batman? I think we got company." Said Robin. Batman looked through his rear view mirror to find a racing clown car headed straight for them. Batman quickly noticed the red and black costume.

"Quinn!" he spat in his deep voice. He sped up.

"Why does she look so angry?" I asked.

"You said that she blocked you from being poisoned by joker, right?" Batgirl asked.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Joker has been stealing prototype toxins that can change your emotions," Batman said, "It was originally being used to create an antidepressant, but Joker got a hold of the medication and put his own little twist to it. He eventually learned how to create himself using the toxin."

"Can it be counteracted?" I asked.

"It can, but it will take some time." Batman replied. Harley raced the car up to the window. She looked in.

"HI B-MAN! You have something of mine, and I WANT IT BACK!" she yelled.

Batman didn't answer, but pushed the gas pedal down more. Harley began to seem slower. She pulled out a hand gun from the hand bag she was carrying and began to shoot the bat mobile. I happened to be the only one ducking and flinching as each bullet hit the car. Batman continued on down a path and started to make sharp turns to try to lose Harley. By the third time batman had made a sharp turn, Harley's car had hit the side of the lamp post at the end of the block. As I looked back to see if she was still following, she was standing up in her seat and shaking her fist. Her face had turned red through her white face makeup full of rage. She reached down into the back seat of the car and pulled out what looked like a Bazooka!

"BATMAN! WATCH OUT!" I yelled. The same time Harley had pulled the trigger, Batman had hit a button where we were all ejected into the air. the bomb hit the car and it exploded into pieces. Robin grabbed a hold of me as his cape caught the air and started to glide. The four of us had flown through the air only to hit the Gotham bay where "Bat jet ski-thingies" popped out of the water. Gracefully, everyone had landed onto one of the jet skis and they drove off. The three of them headed towards a cliff.

"UMM! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING?" I asked Robin as he headed straight for the wall of rock right in front of us. He chuckled. To me, that screamed "NO!" I covered my eyes waiting for the impact. After about 7 seconds, I realized we weren't dead. I opened my eyes to find myself still on the back of Robin's jet ski, but we were in what looked like a cave. Robin, Batgirl and Batman had all pulled up to a dock at the end of the cave where an old man was standing. In unison, the three of them had gotten off their jet skis. Robin had reached his hand out to me. I took it, and he pulled me up off the jet ski.

"Back so soon?" said the old man.

"We have a visitor." Said batman. The old man looked at me and bowed. I waved back. Batman, robin and Batgirl had gone up the steps to where a massive computer screen was located. In front of the computer was another man in a costume.

"That was a short trip." Said the man. He turned around to greet the three, but the he saw me.

"Uh…I think you have a little follower, Batman." He said.

"Ace was the one who hit the button on the tracking device." Said Batman.

"Wait…how do you know me?" I asked suspiciously.

"...Bruce Wayne contacted me telling me about your visit and who you're related to." The computer man smirked, then got up to greet me.

"I'm Nightwing." He said. He held out his hand to shake. "I'm pretty sure you met my replacement, and the girl."

"YOU were the first Robin?" I asked in disbelief. He gave me a half smile and nodded. Batman turned around with no emotion. He turned back around to identify the analysis.

"The antidote for the poison is almost done." The old man came walking up the stairs.

"Is there anything I could be of service to?" the old man asked.

Batman looked at me. "Did the Joker give you anything after he poisoned Harley?" he asked me.

"He DID give me some breakfast earlier… none of it tasted or smelt funny though." I replied.

"Give her a full body analysis and check her vital signs." Batman ordered the man. The old man guided me toward a flat table that had a laser over the top of it. He helped me on the table and went into a tiny control center. As I lay flat on my back, the laser began to move up and down my body by a blue light. The light was almost irritating. I felt as if I wanted to punch- no…KILL someone. I looked over to the old man. My body began to ache and all I could hear in my head was "KILL HIM" over and over. I was just about to sit up when Nightwing and Batgirl had held my arms down. I began to move my legs to try to get out of their hold when Robin came over and pinned my legs down. I felt something sharp go into my arm and I instantly felt sedated. Each time I would open my eyes, they would gt heavier and heavier, until finally, I was asleep.


	8. Chapter 7

**Ace up the Sleeve**

**Chapter 7:**

I opened my eyes to find my hands and feet handcuffed and I was still on the table. I looked around as much as I could to find Robin sitting in a chair with his elbows resting on his lap and his head resting on his hand.

"You're finally awake…" he said with his glum look.

"Where are the others?" I asked.

"They went to go find Harley and Joker…" he smirked as he said it.

"Would it be okay to un-handcuff me?" I said slowly as if I was waiting for him to do it himself. He shrugged, got up off the chair and undid the locks in the cuffs. I slowly got up from the table while Robin held my back as I sat up. I rubbed my hand around my wrists to relieve he tightness around them. A few seconds later, the computer monitor started sounding. Robin ran to the screen and hit enter. I walked to where the screen was. Batman's profile showed up on the screen.

"What's up boss?" Robin said. Batman seemed caught off guard.

"What?" he said dumbfounded.

"Sorry…how's the Clown hunt going on?"

"Harley and Joker seemed to have abandoned their earlier location. There are no tire tracks or anything on the pavement." Robin turned towards me. I found my way behind Robin who was in front of the computer screen.

"What is SHE doing not handcuffed?" batman lectured Robin.

"She woke up back to normal." Robin shrugged.

"But we still don't know what had caused that little outburst. When we're done here, put her back and give her another dose of sedatives." Batman instructed Robin. Robin then turned back to me.

"Do you have any idea to where your parents would be?" he asked. I shook my head at robin.

"I guess he never anticipated on you to find where he was yet."

"…or he used you as bait…" I heard Nightwing in the background.

"I will get back to you later when we find more evidence." Batman said. He turned off the computer screen and Robin turned to me.

I started walking towards a rack of motor powered bikes and motorcycles. Robin followed me.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

I continued walking, ignoring what he had just said. He ran in front of me and put his arms out. I suddenly stopped. I tried to go around him, but every way I moved his movement followed.

"Let me through!" I demanded.

"What are you trying to do?" he repeated. I huffed out a lot of air.

"I think I might know where to find Joker."

"Well, why didn't you tell him that?" He asked.

"Because it dawned on me after he left." I tried to go around him again, but still his movement followed. I began to feel agitated. Not as bad as before, but just annoyed enough to start yelling.

"WILL YOU LET ME THROUGH?" I yelled. He held up a bottle of medication.

"Boss's orders" he said shaking the bottle of pills. I put my hands on my hips and looked at him.

"You didn't seem so happy being left alone to babysit me did you?" His expression lowered but he still didn't give up.

"No…but still." I was so annoyed that I couldn't hold it in much longer. I grabbed his face and pressed his lips against mine. _WHAT THE HELL WAS I DOING?_ I thought the whole time. I pulled back to see a surprised expression on Robin's face. The hand that held the medicine fell and he just stood there. I was then able to walk around him and get on a motorbike. He turned around to find me starting it up. He ran toward the bike and hopped on.

"Lemme drive." He said. I sighed, but let him switch spots.

"Where to?" he asked the same way Harley did when I had went out on my first crime.

"LaffCo. Toy factory." I replied. He turned around towards me with another smirk on his face.

"Why?" he asked with a suspicious smirk on his face.

"I'll tell you on the way there! Just drive!" He pushed down on the gas pedal and we started to accelerate. I held onto his torso as tight as I could. I have never been on the back of a motorbike before, and I think Robin was just finding this out.

"Uh…could you loosen your grip a bit?" he managed to squeak out as I held on for dear life around his diaphragm. I blushed and only loosened it a little bit.

"Sorry…" I apologized.

"So, why the Toy factory?" he asked again.

"The jack-in-the-box he used for the poison gas had their logo on it." He continued to speed down Gotham streets. The screen on the bike had lifted up. Batman's face appeared on the screen again.

"I have your signal on the bat radar…WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he yelled at robin, "YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE AT HOME!"

"Ace said she might have a clue as to where Joker is- LaffCo. Toy Factory. Their logo was on the gas filled Jack-in-the-box." Robin explained.

"I'll meet you there." Batman said bluntly and the screen blacked out again. The ride was silent for a bit and then Robin began to speak.

"So…about that kiss…" he started. I cut him off.

"No one is to know?" I finished for him.

"Agreed…" he said and we continued to drive awkwardly silent.

We pulled inside an alley way and climbed off the bike. Robin had pulled out his Grapnel hook and grabbed a hold of me. He shot the hook with a loud BANG and it hit the top of the building next to the alley way we were in. He tugged on it a little to see if it was secure and we shot up to the top. He swung me over and then pulled himself up. He undid the hook from the building and he turned around to find Batman, Nightwing and Batgirl standing right there. They then walked across the roof tops expecting us to follow. They all stopped at the edge of the building and Batman had pulled out a pair of goggles.

"There are guards everywhere." He reported.

"Joker made sure he wasn't interrupted this time…" Nightwing said.

"So…what do we do?" I asked.

"YOU are going to stay here…it's too dangerous." Batman ordered. Batgirl looked at me with suspicion.

"Well, maybe we _can_ use her…" she said. Oh no…I'm going to be used as bait again, aren't I?


	9. Chapter 8

**Ace Up the Sleeve**

**Chapter 8:**

We discussed the plan several times to go over stuff and make sure our little "hero" group had all understood. I snuck up to the nearest trash can at Laff Co. outside to get a better view to what's around. Batman had given me one of those fancy earpieces that Batgirl had been using outside the carnival tent when they were taking me away from Joker.  
"Alright," the voice had said in the earpiece, "now go up to the entrance casually." I stood up on my feet and started walking towards the entrance. Some of the thugs had noticed me.

"Who are you? What do you want?" they demanded. I panicked. The voice in the earpiece started talking again.

"Calm down, and tell them you are Joker's daughter." I repeated what the Batman had said and they let me through. I walked through the entrance and to the main part of the factory where Joker was.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he yelled. I didn't even wait for Batman to tell me what to say.

"I…I got away from Batman…" I replied. He began to smile like a menace.

"Well, Harley, looks like she's a smart one too." He called to the other room. Harley Quinn walked out of the room looking sedated and calmer than before. When she saw me, her face lit up.

"ACIE! YOU'RE BACK!" she crooned. She tackled me and gave me a long, squeezing hug and plenty of kisses all over my face. "We're finally a family again!" she sang in her sweet New Jersey accent. She put her hand behind my back and guided me toward the pile of toys and chemicals he had laid out around a blueprint.

"Uhh…what are you working on?" I asked as casually as I could. The Joker turned back around into his chair and continued to work as he spoke.

"Do you remember the time when I was playing with the Jack-in-the-box with you?" he said as if he was taking in that moment. He started to giggle with happiness. The voice inside my earpiece started to talk again.  
"Act as if you're a part of his group…or he will target you as one of the victims again."

I started to giggle with him, "Yeah…" I said with a face of remembering sweet memories. He sighed as he stared off into space, then he began again.

"Well this toxin is based off of that gas." He said, "I'm going to put it in as many toys as I can and sell them. When the kids started playing with them, then WHAMO! They will be hit with the gas and act as I would. And since Batman is too self-righteous to beat up children, they will be completely unstoppable!" he explained. He began to laugh hysterically as he finished his toxin. He stopped laughing for a second and turned around toward Harley and me. "AHEM!" he cleared his throat. Harley began to laugh with him and looked at me. I started laughing with the two maniacs. I turned around to find silhouetted figures looking through the sky lighted window. I stopped laughing.

"LOOK!" I called to Joker. He turned around and down crashing came Batman and Nightwing. An in through the front doors came Robin and Batgirl.

"We heard about your little scheme, Joker."

"And how, I must ask?" the Joker said with his smile. Whenever batman was around, his smile seemed to grow much bigger as if he was anticipating for him to be there.

"We had a little help from the inside." Said Nightwing. The Joker gave me a disappointing look, and then he turned to Nightwing.

"Ah! The old boy blunder! It's been too long" Joker chuckled. "Well, it's been nice seeing you all again, but we have to go now!" the Joker pulled out a dog whistle and blew into it. a few seconds later, about a dozen Hyenas came in surrounding the heroes. The Joker grabbed me and Harley and dragged us out of the room. Batman turned towards Robin and Batgirl.  
"You two go! We'll fight them off." Batgirl called to Nightwing and Batman. They fled the room after us deeper into the factory. Joker told us to hide and get ready to attack. I hid behind a large bin full of stuffed toys. They looked as if they were sewn back together again. They must have been some of the toys filled with the Joker toxin. I grabbed an arm full of the stuffed animals and got ready to pelt them at the original dynamic duo. I peeked my head through the enormous pile of stuffed animals in the bin. At the second I looked through, they had vanished. The next thing I hear is the Joker's voice.

"CONGRATUALTIONS, BATSY! YOU'VE FOUND ME!" he chuckled. I then had heard Harley struggling to get out of Nightwing's hold. Nightwing carried her to where Batman was located.

"HERE, BATS! YOU'VE WON A PRIZE!" The Joker threw a clown doll at him that had a digital countdown on it. Batman caught it and threw it into the air. The doll had exploded in midair with a huge BOOM! The factory lit up with the explosion. Batman then turned back to Joker. I snuck up behind Nightwing at that point and hit a pressure point that had made him black out. Harley quickly and quietly ran to the nearest bin of toys to hide behind. I then snuck up behind Batman with Harley's mallet that she handed to me, and hit him in the back of the head. *WHAM!* he hit the floor just about to black out as Joker cackled. "THAT'S MY GIRL!" he said out loud. I walked over to him with a maniacal smile he always gave me. I dropped the mallet and ran to him. I wrapped my arms around him and he squeezed me tightly back. Harley walked out of the room and came back with Smiles and Chuckles carrying Robin and Batgirl who were both knocked out.

* * *

A few hours later, the team of heroes started to wake up tied and hung upside down right above a huge tank of Piranhas. When they woke up, I was already in my original costume that _I've_ made. It was a red and violet argyle patterned corset paired with a black tutu, one red and black knee high sock with another purple and black sock, black combat boots and black fingerless leather gloves. I still had the white face paint, the black lips and the spade on my cheek from my first night of crime.

"HA HA! I KNEW I'D GET THIS PLAN TO WORK!" The Joker laughed. "Combining the plans of "Death of a Hundred Smiles" and "Joker Juniors"! SEE, HARL? I knew I'd get the piranhas to seem like they are smiling-just hang the victims upside down!" Harley looked up from the toys she was filling with Toxic gas. She stopped for a moment.

"But Mistah J. I tried to tell you about that MONTHS ago." She worded carefully while saying it in her sweet sing-song New Jersey accent. The Joker grimaced at her.

"But I also said," he began calmly, "ONLY _I _CAN KILL HIM!" he then yelled. Harley cowered like a scolded puppy dog.

"Yes sir…" she said frightened.

"I don't get it…" Batman said. "You were with the Joker that whole time?" he asked me.

"YUP!" I said confidently, "Fooled ya, didn't I?" I mocked.

"But why?" Nightwing chimed in.

"Acie thought she'd like to continue the family tradition," Said the joker as he came up behind me. He rested his hands on my shoulders, "And she's made mommy and daddy proud!" He continued as he looked at me with his big grin.

"So all this time?" Robin asked.

"Since the very beginning!" Harley said in her playful voice skipping up to me and joker as she wrapped her arms around his left arm.

"See, I knew you and Mr. Wayne knew each other very well. When I told him my story, I knew he'd tell you, and you'd try to follow me and rescue me." I said.

"But what about your foster mother, Harley's good friend, Sheryl?" Batgirl asked.

"Meh…she was a bitch to me all throughout Med. School…" Harley said uncaring. "I put a gun to her head and told her she needed to take care of Acie 'til she's 16. She got scared and told the police what was going on the day of her birthday. My boys went over and took her out, and then kidnapped Acie back." Harley explained.

"But how did Ace know about you even when she was kidnapped?" Robin asked.

"Arkham allows us to send a letter a month to loved ones we know." Joker answered. "Now enough with the small talk, the toy truck will be here any moment to pick up more toys!" Joker picked up one of the boxes of toys very carefully and walked out of the room with Harley who was carrying two other boxes. Joker stopped quickly and turned towards me.

"Oh, and Acie! Would you be a dear and…exterminate the family of rodents?" he asked.

"Sure thing, Daddy!" I said smiling back at him. I skipped over towards the chains that were holding Batman and his team and grabbed a hold of them.

"I actually thought you and I had something together…" Robin called.

"ever hear of good acting?" I asked sarcastically. I started to lower them slowly towards the tank of Piranhas with my grin mimicking the Joker's as best as could.

"Yeah…I have. But I might have actually told you who we really are. I might have let you get to know me better…who I really am…" I stopped the chains from going any farther.

"ROBIN! NO!" The three of them told him.

"But it will be too late now…you'll never know because the piranhas will have eaten all the evidence to who we really are. " Joker walked in again.

"ACE! What's the hold up?" He scolded.

"No one will ever know who these people really are. Robin says he would have confessed to me." the joker looked at Robin who was blood red in the face by this time from being hung upside down. Joker went up to the tank and tried to reach for a mask to take off. He extended his arm, but he was unable to reach. He got down from the table and paused for a second. He looked at robin again whose face was reaching the point of turning a purplish. He grinned.

"They won't last much longer anyway, Acie. Tie the chain back up again and help us load the rest of the boxes." Joker concluded. I obediently did so and left the room with the last box in my hand. Before I could head to the truck, I heard the chains swinging back and forth. I turned my head to the direction of the noise to find Batman free and untying the rest of the people. My eyes opened real wide and I began to run. Joker was waiting for me in the front of the truck.

"What took you so long?" He said.

"Batman and the others are freeing themselves from the chains!" I reported. The Jokers smile regained and he stomped on the gas pedal right as Harley was getting in."  
"HEY!" She called. Joker ignored her and we drove off. We made it to the closed toy store and quickly piled the boxes of toys in with the rest of the thugs. Batman and the rest of the team had quickly followed in after.

"So I see you have gotten free!" The Joker said. Well, let's play another game! TAG!" He threw a smoke bomb towards the team of rodents and the three of us ran. We ran to the roof top and barricaded the door. We slowly backed away from the door. Harley hit her back up against the front of Batman's chest. She turned around to be quickly knocked out. I backed away from Batman as he then took out the Joker.

"Tag…you're. It…" The batman said back at Joker. My heart was racing at this point I hit the corner of the building's top border. Batman walked slowly towards me. He stopped a foot away from me. _What was going to happen next? _ I asked myself. I then saw the Joker come up behind Batman. He took a brick that was in his hands and WHACKED it in the back of his head. Batman began to lean towards me. I backed up too much and slipped off the 10 story building. As I plunged to the surface of the pavement, all of my wrongs had flashed before my eyes. I felt that my whole world was falling just as I was. And then, a wave of black had covered over my eyes. I was dead.


	10. Resolution

**Ace up the Sleeve**

**Resolution (back in third person POV):**

Just as batman was hit with the brick the Joker threw against his head, he leaned forward to stop any more blows to his head. Ace had backed up a little too much and slipped off the building. As Batman gained his sense of direction back, he was too late. The misguided 16 year old girl had fallen off the building and cracked her skull open. Batman swooped down to examine the body. He checked her pulse: nothing. Her skin was now as white as her makeup. Harley, Joker, and Robin came running over to the victim of the fall followed by Nightwing and Batgirl. The joker's eyes grew wide with fear. Harley and Robin had started to tear up.

"Is she…?" Joker tried to ask.

Batman did not answer but only took off. Harley grabbed the hand of her only child and got down on her knees and curled up in a ball. Joker did not say a word and had no expression of happiness, sadness or anger, but just walked away. Robin stroked the cheek of the girl who had given him light to the world as she kissed him. He got down next to her ear and whispered, "I'll never forget the day we met in Crime Alley with Mr. Wayne." He got up with his head hung low. He walked over to his older brother, Nightwing and looked up at his masked face. Tears stated to flow down The Boy Wonder's face. He held Barbara and Dick into a hug as his tears had flowed down his face. When Tim had let go, he did not know of what else to do other than run. He had no idea where, but he ran. Nightwing and Batgirl had watched how Harley had shown her sorrow as she knelt down next to the dead body of her little girl.

Nightwing and Batgirl had let Harley and Joker say their last good byes to the child and sent them back to Arkham Asylum. Not a word was said to or from by anyone.

* * *

Batman had finally found Robin. He was sitting on top of the theater looking down at Crime Alley.

"I finally know what it feels like to lose someone you love..." Robin said, not looking at Batman. "I mean, I guess I DID feel a little something for my father, but not like this."

"She was a confused girl. She had no idea of what she was getting herself into." Batman said. He was lifeless-still trying to put on his Batman façade when he knew he felt terrible for the girl. He felt as if it was his fault.

"But it didn't mean she had to die." Robin looked at Batman with eyes that could only say, '_I loved her._'

"It didn't mean my parents had to die either. People are confused these days," The masked billionaire sat next to his second son. Tim rested his head on Batman's cowl. "I felt the same way you did many years ago. "Losing something that you had feelings for is never part of your plan, but it is on Life's plan. I will be feeling the same thing you feel for her. I had felt a bond with her too. She knows she's a nice girl, but her mind was confused by the same person her mother's was confused by." Tim got up with no expression and headed to the manor followed by Bruce.

* * *

_The next morning in Wayne Manor…_

Tim had woken up with dried tears on his face and with the same messed up hair he had any other night of crime fighting. He glumly went down to the dining room where Alfred was setting up the table for breakfast.

"Morning, master Tim." The faithful butler said in his thick British accent. "How was your rest?"

"It could have been better…" Tim said. He sat down in a chair and his food was placed in front of him. He rested his head on his hand and played with the scrambled eggs and bacon on his plate. Bruce came down and sat right across from Tim.

"Bad night?" Bruce asked trying to lift the mood. He probably was not good at it, since it was him who was mostly in a bad mood half the time. Alfred hurried in with Bruce's food and the morning paper.

"I think you will be very interested to see the headline today, sir." Alfred said.

"Clown Princess in a Coma?" Bruce read. Tim's eyes lit up. He took the paper out of Bruce hands and skimmed the paper quietly.

"So, she's not dead?"

"Well…half…" Dick said as he walked in. Dick sat right next to Bruce. "Barbara had gotten her to the hospital as I took Quinn and Joker to Arkham. Ace was barely alive when she took her in." Tim got out of his chair.

"Can we go see her?"

"If you finish your breakfast, first…" Bruce answered. Tim's face sagged back down as he plopped back down on his chair. He shoveled the pieces of bacon and eggs in his mouth.

"Whoa! Slow down there, tiger!" Dick tried to joke around.

"You know if it was Barbara, you'd be in the same amount of hurry…" Tim said with his mouth full. Standing right there, Alfred tried to lecture Tim about talking with his mouth full again, but by the time Tim was done, he was out of his chair and pulling on Bruce's hand like a child would do if they wanted to go on an amusement park ride. Bruce nearly fell on top of Dick while he was being pulled to the car. Tim then ran down the front steps of the mansion.

"C'mon, old man!" Time said excitedly.

"Get your jacket on, first! It's chilly." Bruce called. Tim huffed, ran back up the steps, grabbed his jacket and ran back down the steps to where Alfred was waiting with the Lamborghini. Tim hopped into the passenger's side and put the seat belt on.

"C'mon, Pops! You're not this slow when you got to go catch a villain!" Tim said playfully.

"Shush…not so loud." Bruce said.

"We're on a top of a cliff with no neighbors around whatsoever…" Tim explained. Bruce rolled his eyes and got into the driver's side. He drove off with Tim hopping up and down on his seat.

When they had gotten into the hospital, Bruce and Tim were directed towards the ICU where they were caring for Ace.

"Here she is room 6" said the nurse.

"Thank you." Bruce said. Tim walked into the room and pulled up a chair at Ace's bedside. Bruce looked up at the heart monitor.

"Her breathing and heart rate looks normal." He said. Tim took hold of Ace's hand. Still, she slept.

"Ace?" Tim called quietly. Still, she slept.

A few minutes later, two white faced characters came walking into the room. Bruce and Tim looked up to find Joker and Harley standing there.

"You!" Bruce said baffled.

"Yes? What about us?" Joker said impatiently.

"B-batman told me that Nightwing had taken you two back to Arkham." Bruce managed to get out.

"Well, looks like the boy blunder's reached his all-time low: two-timing to the boss…tsk tsk tsk." The Joker teased. "Well, anyway, we came to say a few words to our daughter."

"Mr. Joker, if you could just wait a second? My boy, Tim would like to say a few words before we leave." Bruce tried to say as sweetly as possible. The joker looked irritated and Harley backed away from Joker's arm. He started to take deep breaths before he spoke.

"Well, since I am not armed and ready to blow your brains right through that side of the wall, I think a minute would be okay…" he pushed Harley out of the way and closed the door. Bruce then walked out of the room to give Tim and Ace a little time together.

"Ace…" Tim started. "I know we have only known each other for a short period of time, but, whenever I'm near you, I…I feel happy. I wish you were actually here with me right now…I think it would be a little easier to tell you. But, every time I think about you, I just want to tell you that…I love you."

Just as Tim had finished up his little speech towards the girl he had feelings for, a single tear drop had rolled down her sweet face. Tim gave her a light kiss on the forehead and left the room. The joker looked at him and grimaced.

"What took you so long?" he said. Tim waved his hands towards the door, smiled and said, "She's all yours." Just as the criminal couple entered the room, the heart monitor started sounding. Tim didn't look back, but looked forward at Bruce who was just getting off a phone call.

"Everything okay?" Bruce asked. Tim nodded at the ground. Bruce then got up out of the waiting room chair and put his hand on Tim's shoulder. They walked out together to the Lamborghini parked outside.

"I have a surprise for you at home…" Bruce said. Tim ignored him. Bruce tried his best to cheer his son up, but at the same time, he knew what it was like to go through pain as a mere child.

When they got home, Bruce opened the door and out from the main living room came a small black puppy. Tim's eyes had brightened.

"You…You got me a puppy?" he asked baffled. Bruce smiled and nodded. Tim gave Bruce a giant bear hug and started to pet it. Then Dick came walking in.

"Whatchya gonna name it?" he asked. Tim thought for a second.

"Well, no one has ever given me as much happiness besides my new family, and the girl of my dreams. But you guys mean so much to me; I can't ever replace you with a puppy!" Tim started thinking. Bruce and Dick chuckled.

"So….I'll call it…Ace!"

_Author's note: well, guys i hope you liked this story! i know...it's sad! i loved writing this and having the ideas flow in my head to what was going to happen...and what was cool was everything was able to fit together when i wasn't even trying to do that in the first place! i think this is an awesome story and everytime i continued with another chapter, i could see this turning into an actual graphic novel. more will be coming in the near future and i hope you guys have a great day! 3_


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